The present invention relates to a ski boot.
Known ski boots are generally constituted by at least one quarter associated with a shell.
Both the shell and the quarter are usually manufactured by injecting thermoplastic material, and are made highly rigid in order to be able to optimally transmit the efforts of the leg to the ski.
This rigidity, however, entails a reduced fit and comfort for the user.
It is thus known to pivot the quarter to the shell at the lower lateral ends, so as to be able to follow the rotation of the leg with respect to the malleoli during flexing and extension.
Even this solution, however, does not solve the problem completely, since both the foot and the leg interact at rigid elements, thus creating localized pressure regions which create discomfort for the user.
Several devices are known for limiting said discomfort and they substantially comprise plates arranged inside the boot and adapted to distribute the pressure of contact with the tibia or with the calf or with the upper metatarsal region of the foot.
All these solutions, beside the fact that they only partially solve the problem, increase the structural complexity of the boot, because they require several intermediate manufacturing steps for the assembly, thus increasing the overall costs of said boot.
As a partial solution to this disadvantage, an Italian Patent Application No. 23756 A/80 of Jul. 28, 1980 by this same Applicant, discloses an upper quarter structure, particularly for ski boots, the peculiarity whereof consists in that it comprises at least one band or stripe member which can be superimposed on the shell at the front upper region of the foot and is fixed to the shell at one end.
An upper quarter portion is furthermore provided which is partially superimposed on said stripe member and embraces the shell at the leg articulation region, said upper quarter portion being, at one end, fixed to the shell at the region of superimposition on the stripe member.
Closure levers are furthermore provided which act on the stripe member and on the upper quarter portion which is arranged at the end opposite to the shell fixing end of said at least one stripe member.
Although this solution is undoubtedly valid, it only partially solves the double problem of having a rigid structure for the optimum transmission of the efforts to the ski and at the same time a soft structure in order to improve the fit for the athlete: although a better articulation of the upper quarter is allowed, said upper quarter in fact still interacts directly with the regions of the tibia and of the leg's calf and, together with the shell, with the instep and upper metatarsal region of the foot.
Also as a partial solution to said disadvantage, the published European Patent Application No. 0 353 532 by this same Applicant, discloses a shell structure particularly for front-entry ski boots, the peculiarity whereof consists in that it has at least one transverse slot, defined at the foot's upper metatarsal region, which can be concealed by means of at least one stripe member which supports means for closing on the shell.
Said slot furthermore affects at least the inner lateral region of the shell.
Even this solution, however, does not solve the above described problems completely.